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Baharruin
Craftworld Baharruin is an Aeldari craftworld, located in the Eressa sector in Segmentum Pacificus. Even amongst the Eldar, they carry a special contempt for the younger races and will usually move to eradicate them on every opportunity. History Before the Fall Created almost hundred thousand years ago, Baharruin served the Aeldari Empire as a trading vessel hosting rigorously hierarchic society when compared to the rest of the Empire. Baharruin's main course led it from the heart of the Empire, worlds now known as the Crone Worlds, into the Halo Zone and the Western Fringe. Baharruin also supplied the Aeldari warhosts who travelled the Western Fringe on their vast wraithbone vessels, not unlike craftworlds, and sought the dormant Necron tomb worlds in an attempt to eradicate them from the galaxy. As time passed by, the Aeldari domination over the galaxy became so apparent and so complete, that the revenge-driven societies who had hunted for the Necrons for eons slowly lost their cause, becoming trading hubs and star forts and even moving into the webway and forming a port cities. Many did abandon their old homes and rejoining the Empire, while some living in the Empire were already fleeing away. Adopting the guardian role of the Tomb Hunters, Baharruin became important and highly regarded craftworld amongst the exodites of the Western Fringe as well as the traders and corsairs of the webway ports. Baharruin also played a role in seeding new maiden worlds in the Western Fringe, albeit the exact number has been lost in time. As the Aeldari began to leave the Empire in numbers, Baharruin's leaders took great interest in the exodites and aided many travellers to new worlds within the areas now part of Segmentum Pacificus and Halo Zone. Baharruin salvaged and integrated smaller wraithbone crafts to boost its growth for many travellers also chose to stay in the craftworld. Craftworld's population grew until the end of thirtieth millennium and the Fall of the Eldar. After the Fall After the birth of Slaanesh, system of the Paths, or Ai'elethra, began to rule Baharruin as it did other craftworlds. Many found the life of the Paths too restrictive and abandoned the craftworld, becoming corsairs, outcasts and exodites, some even travelled into the Dark City of Commorragh. Exodite world Mal-Therith was found by those who left the craftworld because of the Paths and the world became a new hub for those who yearned for the old days. Mal-Therith grew a strange culture with those living in the cities behaving more like Craftworlder's and those outside, mroe like Exodites. As the centuries and millennia passed, Baharruin became more and more structured towards militaristic paths. Shrines of all the major Aspects were built in the craftworld's cities and many autarchs were willing to aid those exodites the craftworlders had once helped to travel to the maiden worlds they now settled. Seer and Autarch Councils of Baharruin called for support of their citizens on craftworld and began to actively seek and engage any and all threats in the Western Fringe. Many exodite worlds owe more than they can ever repay to Baharruin and its five warhosts. Lust for blood grew with many succesfull centuries as the craftworld culled fledging races, annihilated Ork Waaaghs! and destroyed Necron tomb worlds. Many human colonies from the Golden Age of Mankind were massacred and claimed by the Eldar as the agents of Baharruin sought out willing settlers from within the craftworld, amongst the wandering outcasts and even from the port cities of the Webway. Even if the craftworld's efforts were thorough in some areas, some worlds, such as Prima Cajalax Maxia and Animos in Eressa sector, survived by just being too far from the craftworld's route. Coming of the Imperium In early M41, the craftworld's farseers began to have visions of impending danger. A terrible threat to come from the east. Baharruin, having spent millennia far to the west of the majority of the galaxy's wars was far less used to the scale of wars fought by the Imperium. Unfortunately, their lack of experience with the forces of the Imperium almost proved their undoing. While they made preparations for war as they had in the past, nothing they had encountered before was anything like the Macharian Crusade. The untold numbers of the Imperial Guard and cunning strategies of the Lord Solar by far outstripped anything that had emerged from the Halo Stars. Over a dozen maiden worlds were conquered or were in the process of being conquered by the end of the year. While the craftworld and what few corsairs were in the area offered sanctuary to the Exodites, the majority chose to stay and fight for their planets. Only from Mal-Therith was there any significant number willing to leave their planet. On the maiden worlds the Imperial guard forced the Exodites from their towns and villages and forced those who survived to hide within forest, jungle, and other such locations, guarded by the deadly outcast Rangers. With millions displaced and billions dead the Eldar of Baharruin were enraged like never before. The upstart Mon-Keigh had dared to invade even this distant section of the Galaxy in order to steal that which was rightfully theirs. It was sworn then by both the Eldar of Baharruin and the Corsairs that never again would the presence of the Mon-Keigh be tolerated in Eressa. They swore to Khaine himself that they would drive the upstarts out and reclaim their worlds. They did not have long to wait. Scarcely a year after their worlds were lost, the sector was engulfed in war as the Macharian Heresy broke out as Mon-Keigh fought Mon-Keigh. Seeing an opportunity to reclaim what was theirs, the Eldar of Baharruin contacted all the Corsairs that traded with them. The Eldar corsairs upon hearing of the tragic loss of the Exodite worlds quickly agreed to aid the craftworld in retaking the lost maiden worlds. Forming a powerful fleet of combined craftworld and corsair, their attack from the Halo zone was too much for the rebellious humans to withstand. Strangely however, the Eldar stopped short of retaking all their lost worlds, settling for half of the lost planets. The craftworld's Farseers had warned them that the Imperium would return and that they must avoid overstretching their forces. With six of their lost worlds reclaimed, the Exodites were able to emerge from hiding to try and rebuild. The Scourge of Mal-Therith First of the planets retaken by the Eldar was the maiden world of Mal-Therith. Having been the most similar of the maiden worlds to the old crone worlds, the Eldar were eager to reclaim it and did so in less than a solar month. However their success was short lived as not long after the craftworld and the majority of the corsairs move on to further reconquest than the warp disgorge a new trouble. A small space hulk infested with Ork tribes. Even as the space hulk approached the planet the Eldar corsairs blasted it apart with torpedoes and pulsar lances. This proved a mistake, instead of one large but containable impact, the fragments of the hulk struck all across the Mal-Therith's surface. From these fragments emerged those Orks tough enough to have survived the reentry which began to spread across the planet like a plague. Unable to match the far more numerous Orks on the ground, the only way to cleanse the planet of them was through orbital bombardment. While far more precise than the orbital bombardment of the Imperium, large areas of the planet were reduced to ash and glass. If anything more needed to be done to convince the Eldar to drive the other races from their worlds, this was it. It was a popular opinion that, had it not been for the Imperium's destruction of much of the Eldar's forces and defenses, the Eldar could have easily turned the green tide and prevented them from a single foot hold on the Eldar's worlds. Locations Aspect Shrines *'Azure Sickle Shrine' - Like most other Craftworlds, Baharruin houses a shrine of the Dire Avengers, Aspect of the Phoenix Lord Asurmen. Lethal warriors each of them, the Avengers often lead covered operations against human forces or form the spearhead of an attack. On the rare occurrence that one of Baharruin's leaders meets an envoy of one of the lesser species, they will usually be accompanied by a delegation of Avengers as well. Befitting their crucial role and renown, their shrine is located close to the center of Baharruin. Great Houses Tád hîn Tád hîn (translating to 'Two Children') claim to be the oldest of the Great Houses of Baharruin, though that claim is disputed. Gaining their name for the abnormal number of twins born to their house (nearly thrice that of most Eldar), Tád hîn produces many who follow the paths of the Mariner or Seer. The Path of Bonesinging in particular is popular among the house, giving them de-facto rule of Craftworld - they are the ones responsible for the construction and maintenance of necessary structures. Caentar Responsible for the construction of wargear and vehicles, few understand the inner workings of Eldar vehicles better and many of House Caentar's members take the path of the warrior, piloting fighters and tanks into battle against their enemies, earning great renown for themselves and their home. Not just warriors, they are known as craftsmen and swordsmen without equal. Isentyr Responsible for growing food, House Isentyr's work can be found throughout the craftworld, from great glass domes where constant starlight shines down on their crops, to edible vines that climb up the sides of their homes. They ensure that no citizen of Baharruin goes hungry- even growing a comfortable surplus for trade with allied Exodite worlds and Corsairs. Relations Allies *'Kabal of the Silver Wisp' - Not exactly an ally, but the Drukharii of the Kabal of the Silver Wisp are considered as "associates with mutual interests". Residing in the satellite realm of Commorragh, City of Dyann Ag'dris, the kabal has access to a vast webway network in the Western Fringe and allows all Eldar vessels to traverse through their massive webway portal known as the Gate of Dyann Ag'dris. *'Masque of the Weeping Hundred' - A masque known for its perfected dance of the Hundred Swords of Vaul and the Golden Maid. *'Masque of the Words Gouged' - A masque known for dances that intentionally have twisted the myths into perverted versions of themselves. Members of Words Gouged rarely speak truth or if they do, it is hidden below myriad multi-layered parodies and dark-themed satires. *'Three Silver Swords Raised Against The Iron Moon' - Remnants of an unknown craftworld from beyond the Eressa sector, led by the Spiritseer Amekeza. They ship the souls of their fallen brethren through the Webway, ever searching for a place to put them to rest. Those crossing the Three Swords find the wrath of the dead turned against them, as an army of Wraithguards tears them apart. *'Void Dancers Corsair fleet' - A corsair fleet closely associated with Baharruin, as well as many of the exodite worlds. The Void Dancers accept only the most firm and powerful Eldar, for one of their duties is to retrieve new spirit stones from crone worlds within the Eye of Terror. For any Eldar, entering the Eye of Terror is perhaps the most perilous activity possible. Any Eldar with anything less than the most powerful will is at risk of their soul being devoured by She-Who-Thirsts. For this dangerous, but necessary duty, the Void Dancers are given great respect by both craftworld and exodite, though it is not uncommon for ships or small fleets to never return. Most of their time is spent raiding merchants across the Western Fringe and Segmentum Pacificus. Enemies *'Battlefleet Eressa' - The ships of the Imperium and the slender craft of the Aeldari have clashed on countless occasion, regarding each other as nothing more than aggressors threatening their rightful rule over the sector. This holds especially true for the many fighter wings of the battlefleet, who have suffered greatly against their Eldar counterparts. Notes Notable members *'Eliohan Death-Gazer' - The leader of the Void Dancers Corsairs. Originally from Mal-Therith, Eliohan was one of the Eldar that dwelt in Mal-Therith's cities when the Imperium conquered it in the Macharian Crusade. Rescued by the Void Dancers, Eliohan discovered a love for sailing the stars, and even when the Eldar retook Mal-Therith, he chose to stay with the Void Dancers. *'Iselith' - "The Jade Princess" as she is nicknamed in Battlefleet Eressa's records is an infamous Void Dancers commander known for her tactical skill and her taste in clothing- a long green coat taken as a trophy from a House Decebal Merchant Captain, customized with Eldar script along the collar and sleeves. She is also known to carry a pair of Shuriken pistols and a long knife, all three inset with matching green gems. *'Kaedar Path-Leaper' - Originally treading the Path of Service for one of the Great Houses, Kaedar eventually abandoned this life and walked and completed the Path of a Dreamer and a Mourner before leaving Baharruin altogether. Rather than joining other rangers, she has wandered the Webway alone ever since, visiting planets all over the sector. Not even her brethren are sure if the young Eldar has a purpose guiding her actions or if they are just the whims of a restless spirit. *'Yllas' - A sword maker completely dedicated to his craft, he has spent the last several centuries perfecting it and his creations, each taking up to five years to complete are highly prized among the craftworld's elite. While he makes blades, he is also well versed in their use and has been seen fighting among Eldar Corsairs in search of materials to decorate his work. Notable engagements Decima Secundus In 472.M41, 70 years after the reconquest of Mal-Therith, the Eldar of Baharruin learned that the planet known to the Imperium as Decima Secundus was actually a Necron Tomb World,belonging to the slowly awakening Akhet Dynasty. One that had been missed by the original purge of the Necron Tomb Worlds by the Eldar. What's more, less than a month later the Eldar Farseers had a vision of the Necrons awakening and wreaking terrible havoc within the Sector. In order to prevent this the Void Dancers Corsairs were sent by the Craftworld to destroy the tomb complexes before they could awaken. Arriving in system, the Eldar were startled to find a small fleet of Mon-Keigh ships in orbit of the planet. Decima Secundus had long been known to be uninhabitable so the Imperium had previously ignored it. To the horror of the captain of the Corsairs, several of the Mon-Keigh ships appeared to be delivering supplies and men of some sort to the surface directly above the tomb complexes. Being forced to act quickly in order to prevent the foolish Mon-Keigh from awakening the Necrons beneath, the Captain of the Void Dancers decided to forgo trying to warn the Imperium of their danger, as there was every evidence they wouldn't listen. Unfortunately many of the Imperial ships were of the Battlefleet Eressa and immediately began firing upon the Eldar ships as soon as they came within range. Risking safety for a quick opportunity to destroy the tombs before they could awaken, the Captain ordered a full assault by his ships upon the Imperial Warships. The Imperial ships, unused to such aggressive behavior from the Eldar were forced to withdraw and regroup, though not without shots landing on both sides. Seeing an opportunity as the Imperial forces were withdrawing, the Void Dancers unleashed a massive volley of torpedoes and lance fire against the planet where they knew the tombs to lie. After unleashing their fire, and unwilling to engage with the regrouped Imperial ships, the Void Dancers withdrew from the planet. Having destroyed the complexes there remained no purpose to staying and fighting the Imperium and so the Eldar withdrew, their vessels easily outrunning the heavier and slower Imperial ships. References Category:Craftworlds Category:Eldar Category:Segmentum Pacificus Category:Eressa Sector